Noob easy question!

I tried searching but it's wierd to find keywords so I figure I'll just ask in the newbie forum and hope nobody gets mad because this thread was probably created a few hundred times at least.

Ok i have a AC to DC converter that i use to plug the playstation into my deck & screen. I'm looking to create a computer instead. Anyways the questions i have, or what i'd like to verify is this.

1. The smaller the CPU, motherboard, hard drive, ram, etc.. the less heat and the less power is needed, right?
2. Dooes the cpu, motherboard, etc.. have to be "special" or can they be the same ones i use on my desktop?
3. Should the computer be turned off when you get out of the car and then turned on when you get back in the car or just the screen is fine?

Is there a good tutorial for setting up a simple setup or something for noobs like me to just get an idea of everything. I read through the sticky notes here in this forum btw.

if your asking questions like "do i leave it on when i get out the car"
then i think you had better give the carputer a miss and get one at home first.

Program aborting close all that you have worked on,You ask to much. You step into the stream,but the water has moved on, This page is not here. Chaos reigns within, Reflect,repent,and reboot.Order shall return

I just have one more question auctually. What's the difference between a carputer and a deck on a sound quality level? If i put a carputer in do I still have a use for my equalizer?

Originally Posted by skydiver

if your asking questions like "do i leave it on when i get out the car"
then i think you had better give the carputer a miss and get one at home first.

The only reason why i asked that is because "cproaudio" has the alarm configuration on his carputer that logs when the alarm goes off and why. I don't know whether it's stored in the computer because if it is, i'd assume it would need to be on.

3. Should the computer be turned off when you get out of the car and then turned on when you get back in the car or just the screen is fine?

I know the opus 150w has a feature that lets you put on how long you want the computer to be on for after you turn your car off I believe the delays are: 10 seconds, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 60 minutes. This helps for if your running into a store and you know youll only be in there for like 10-15 mins so you wont have to keep rebooting the computer.

Opus 150 (for an all in one power solution including on/off)
Epia M10000 (for a low power small form factor PC)
Xenarc 7" touchscreen (high quality, bright)

You'll need to get:

Memory (I recommend 512mb)
Hard drive (A 2.5" drive in the 60 gig range is a nice low power solution but a 3.5" drive is cheaper)
Keyboard/mouse if you think the touchscreen is going to be a problem. I recommend the Gyration mini wireless keyboard/mouse. Pricey, but nice.
GPS "mouse" -I recommend the Royaltek Sapphire. Tiny, works great, not too expensive. The Delorme Earthmate is another popular choice, followed by the Rykalin Bu-303 (I think that's the right number)

That's it. And yes, you can hook up the Epia to the AVIC but that screen will look like crap because it's a video screen, not a VGA screen intended for computer use. Search on terms like "AVIC" for discussions about this.

I would point out that if you put both a computer and the AVIC in your car, you've spent almost the most amount of money on a system I can imagine because the carputer and the AVIC do nearly everything each other does. The AVIC includes an amplifier and tuner whereas the system I spec'd for you does not. But in my opinion, you sorta got to go either one path or the other. The utility of adding the computer is a lot lower if you have the AVIC.

For more info on components and installation of a "simple" system, follow the link in my sig and check the hardware page. I list the components I used, their cost, and my opinion of them.

Originally Posted by ghettocruzer

I was gung ho on building a PC [until] just recently. However, between my new phone having internet and GPS and all...and this kit...Im starting to have trouble justfiying it haha.